The Retirement Thread

[PaulSB]

@12boy I'm very fortunate I live in a mill village, it's a Conservation Area and subject to an Article 4 direction which means no external development or changes are permitted. New windows for example have to match originals etc. The roof must be a certain type of slate. There are 33 original cottages and +/- 40 new houses on the outskirts. We are five miles from Chorley and Blackburn, both population of 120,000 but buzzing Manchester is only 40 minutes away, population 2.75m.

The village is on the Leeds Liverpool canal. A new mill was built in 1843 by a Methodist family to make very high quality paper - even paper for the Bank of England. In those days to attract the best workers accommodation was a big draw - Victorian head hunting. Being Methodists the family truly looked after their workers with a reading room, sports club, village shop, school, washing room, allotments, maintenance team and chapel - going to chapel twice on Sunday was compulsory and no washing to be out on Sundays!!!

These images are five minutes from my house. The two with the table, one is my garden, the other is our row of cottages. The view of the canal is from our bridge which is perhaps 3-4 minutes from our cottage.

Hope it's interesting for you.

 

[welsh dragon]

Morning. It's dark and cold here. Great. Wonderful.

Stay safe folks.

 

[welsh dragon]

Guess what. I won sod all on the premium bonds.

 

[Paulus]

Going back to the cost of living for us retirees, at chez Paulus.
My monthly Bill's come to £514, that is for gas and electricity, water rates, council tax, tv licence, British Gas boiler/centralheating service, and a health plan we pay into.
Food comes to about £70 a week, £280 a month,
The house is paid for, no mortgage costs.
MrsP works part time.
I don't have a car, but MrsP does, she pays for that , a Ford Fiesta EcoBoost, a great little car which is very economical and cheap VED. She puts about £20 petrol a week in it, and the tax is I think is £38 a year.
The dog and cat food plus their insurance costs are the biggest outlays for her. They are about £150 a month in total.
So in total our cost come to around the 10k a year mark. This doesn't take into account eating out or takeaway meals which we only do once a week or so.
There could be some savings on the costs but we manage very well on my pension and her salary.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I don't think that I have ever seen more than 4 of the (8?) open and it is often just 1 or 2. That leads to queues. I want to get in and out ASAP, not stand in a line of shoppers...

That’s been my experience too, of Aldi rather than Lidl. I have been into two Aldi stores, one here and the other in Aviemore. In both the biggest thing that let them down and the biggest reason why I’ve never been back to either was the awful checkout experience. As you say, only one or two checkouts open and huge queues.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

@12boy I'm very fortunate I live in a mill village, it's a Conservation Area and subject to an Article 4 direction which means no external development or changes are permitted. New windows for example have to match originals etc. The roof must be a certain type of slate. There are 33 original cottages and +/- 40 new houses on the outskirts. We are five miles from Chorley and Blackburn, both population of 120,000 but buzzing Manchester is only 40 minutes away, population 2.75m.

The village is on the Leeds Liverpool canal. A new mill was built in 1843 by a Methodist family to make very high quality paper - even paper for the Bank of England. In those days to attract the best workers accommodation was a big draw - Victorian head hunting. Being Methodists the family truly looked after their workers with a reading room, sports club, village shop, school, washing room, allotments, maintenance team and chapel - going to chapel twice on Sunday was compulsory and no washing to be out on Sundays!!!

These images are five minutes from my house. The two with the table, one is my garden, the other is our row of cottages. The view of the canal is from our bridge which is perhaps 3-4 minutes from our cottage.

Hope it's interesting for you.
View attachment 550221

View attachment 550222

View attachment 550223

View attachment 550224 View attachment 550226

That looks a lovely place to live.

 

[Paulus]

That’s been my experience too, of Aldi rather than Lidl. I have been into two Aldi stores, one here and the other in Aviemore. In both the biggest thing that let them down and the biggest reason why I’ve never been back to either was the awful checkout experience. As you say, only one or two checkouts open and huge queues.

I don't think it is just Aldi. My local Sainsbury's is the same. 15 checkout aisles, but only 4 or 5 open with a queue . Plus of course the self checkout.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Morning all, starting today’s playlist with the fabulous Chilly Start and their number one hit Three Degrees

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I don't think it is just Aldi. My local Sainsbury's is the same. 15 checkout aisles, but only 4 or 5 open with a queue . Plus of course the self checkout.

Another thing that Aldi lacked was any self checkout

 

[PaulSB]

That’s been my experience too, of Aldi rather than Lidl. I have been into two Aldi stores, one here and the other in Aviemore. In both the biggest thing that let them down and the biggest reason why I’ve never been back to either was the awful checkout experience. As you say, only one or two checkouts open and huge queues.

Interesting as our local ALDI has always been very good about opening checkouts. If the conveyor is full and two people waiting the call goes over the tannoy "We are opening till number .....for you" Lidl is diabolical, usually no more than two tills.........which is a bugger when you only want a bottle of malt!!

In my ALDI if folk see you with just a few items they ask if you'd like to go ahead of them. It's almost a rule but hey it's Chorley!!! 😄

Tesco? Don't get me started. How long have you got?

 

[PaulSB]

Another thing that Aldi lacked was any self checkout

Self checkout is great in small stores with a few items. Terrible for a week's shop. Every time I went in Tesco I'd get stopped for a full security scan - they say it's random! I did once miss scanning a jar of coffee. 🤔 Random? Nope, my card is marked. ☹️

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I get the sense most of you live in little towns based on your photos, mainly, which make it seem all that gorgeous country is not far from the front door.

I guess that goes with the territory of being cyclists and being retired - once we no longer need to work in the city to earn a living we are free to ‘Escape to the Country’ to enjoy our cycling. Mmm, I’m sure there must be a TV programme in that

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I guess that goes with the territory of being cyclists and being retired - once we no longer need to work in the city to earn a living we are free to ‘Escape to the Country’ to enjoy our cycling. Mmm, I’m sure there must be a TV programme in that

I'm still living in a big city, Coventry, once it was an industrial power house, no its turning into an university city.

 

[gavroche]

Bonjour. No idea what the weather is like so far as I am still in bed but I have a question for you: can you still buy rice for making rice pudding? We have not been able to find any in the shops round here since last March. I really miss my home made rice pudding. I can't stand the one out of a tin, it is far too watery for my taste.
Bonne journee.

 

[Mo1959]

Chilly walk done. Porridge time...........it was fruit and fibre yesterday so at least that's different!